Not a Williams .58

[macman]

Hi I wonder if you gentlemen could help me out with another bullet ID. I thought I had two Williams regulation .58 cal minie balls, but on closer inspection and measurement they are not the same, my spec for the Williams round is 0.96" High x 0.579" wide with two rings each approx 1/6" wide, it has a conical base cup approx .44" deep and weighs 1.1 oz. The other minie ball now in question is the same weight 1.1oz but its spec is slightly different it is 1.03" high x 0.565" wide with two large tapered rings almost 2/16' wide, square cut on the top but tapered on the base, this also has a conical base cup but it is only .333" deep, does anyone have an idea of what this minie ball might be?

[macman]

I realize that in my previous post I may have confused the issue by listing the Williams minie ball as having two rings when in fact it has three square cut rings or grooves each approx .039" wide, as does the other unidentified round except that these rings are not square cut but have a taper cut. Sorry for the confusion.

[PCGeorge]

Macman wrote:
> does anyone have an idea of what this minie ball might be?

It appears to be "just" a typical Minie for a .577-caliber or .58-caliber rifle. Upon close inspection of the enlarged version of your photo, to me it looks like it MIGHT be a Confederate-made one rather than a US-made one ...because its nose is pointy with a small flat area on its tip ...and it has mold-seam lines showing up the entire length of its body. Unfortunately, those characteristics are not 100%-reliable clues for classifying it as CS-made. I'm just saying it greatly resembles a particular version of late-war CS-made "Nose-Cast" 3-groove minie we dig a lot of in the 1864 Richmond-to-Petersburg siege lines. Unfortunately, I'd have to lay it alongside some of those "in real life" to be sure it is that kind.

Three questions:
1- Did your specimen come from an early-war, mid-war, or late-war site?
2- Were any "definitely-Confederate" relics found at the spot where you dug it?
3- Or was it found near the US .58 Williams Regulation minie you posted?

Regards,
Pete [P.C. George]

[macman]

Hi Pete,

Well I do not know the answer to all your questions, but this is the best information I have,
The Bullet pictured on the right, came from Mobile Bay, AL, and we assume that is it is from the siege of Fort Gaines, August 2-23 1864.

The second bullet came from a private collection and was listed as a unfired/dropped round from Gettysburg. You are right it does have a noticeable mold-seam line and the three grooves are not square cut but tapered, the nearest I have come to finding a match is a MM# 387 variant, but the nose does seem to be a little more pointed. Would any additional photos help.

[macman]

I messed uo here I meant to say the bullet on the left is from Mobile Bay, AL the bullet on the right is the dropped round from Gettysburg, PA. Sorry

[Isabel]

Well I do not know the answer to all your questions, but this is the best information I have,
The Bullet pictured on the right, came from Mobile Bay, AL, and we assume that is it is from the siege of Fort Gaines, August 2-23 1864.

The second bullet came from a private collection and was listed as a unfired/dropped round from Gettysburg. You are right it does have a noticeable mold-seam line and the three grooves are not square cut but tapered, the nearest I have come to finding a match is a MM# 387 variant, but the nose does seem to be a little more pointed. Would any additional photos help.